Craft Paper Moon
by CloudEllis
Summary: Snips, folds and sedating tears. Pinned indefinitely against a bulletin of black... Crafts is a past time meant to mollify children, and Mitsuru Kirijio had already allowed herself ample time for naivety—she would waste no more. With her own two capable hands, she would rip Minako Arisato right out of the sky and bring her home.


_Craft Paper Moon_

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Persona series or any of the characters, and I don't want to. That would be too much work.

Ahh, it's been a while. Yes, I know this isn't an update for Crash of a Star. I apologize. I am taking a break from that. This is my first story for the Persona series. I'm on my third play through, so I thought I would take a stab at it. This will probably have a few chapters, but I don't plan on it being really long. Then again, you know how that goes. This story takes place four years after the events of P3 (or P3P, if you prefer. Not FES and not P4 or anything after or before) meaning Mitsuru is now twenty-one years old.

**Fandom:** Persona Series/P3P/Persona 3

**Pairing:** Mitsuru K./FeMC

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Romance and Drama (**Shoujo-Ai**, or "**girl love". **I thought Mitsuru's social link for the female route was rather cute and could see it going into a possibly romantic direction. If the idea of this makes you uncomfortable, then I advise you not to continue)

**Summary:** Snips, folds and sedating tears. Pinned indefinitely against a bulletin of black... Crafts is a past time meant to mollify children, and Mitsuru Kirijio had already allowed herself ample time for naivety—she would waste no more. With her own two capable hands, she would rip Minako Arisato right out of the sky and bring her home.

* * *

_I'll send a storm to capture your heart and bring you home..._

* * *

At the far end of a beautifully furnished table, a soft sigh passed through Mitsuru Kirijo's prettily made lips. Nothing in today's paper appeared to please her. The other recipient seated on the outdoor chaise lounge adjacent to her on the luxurious patio could make this judgement with little more than a brief observation. He had come to know her well enough to pick up on the subtle signs that marked her displeasure, like her body language, the stiffness in her strides or the disquieted way she'd purse her lips.

To actually hear the young business woman sigh out, however...

It was never a good sign.

Val Lawrence Augustine wove his hands together and placed them beneath his chin. The thin gold band on his ring finger gleamed beneath the brilliance of the large sky light windows above them. He watched his lovely wife turn to the next page in her newspaper and then place it down in favor of the steaming cup of tea a maid came by and set before her. For the first time in the past half hour the couples' eyes met; Mitsuru's ruby smile and modest blush momentarily disappeared behind the rim of the fine china as she thanked the help, and then she gently set it on the table again.

"...Yes?" she asked her husband wryly, her velvety voice sounding pleasant. The handsome young man's dark eyes crinkled slightly, momentarily amused by the light playfulness of her tone. It never ceased to amaze him how well she could keep herself in check when she thought she was being observed. He almost felt bad that he had already caught on to her actual mood.

"Nothing, uh...Just wondering if you found anything interesting to read in there," Val said, gesturing to the paper.

"Ah..." Mitsuru's face seemed to darken. Her voice lowered. "...Well, that is..."

In the suspending silence that followed, the pleasant moment between them wavered and then slowly fell apart completely. Val's smile faded with it. He leaned forward with his arms resting across his knees and bowed his head. When he lifted his face again, his mouth opened as though he intended to say something at the precise moment Mitsuru's carmine eyes lowered to rich wooden table in front of her. He had caught her in a moment of vulnerability and now she was curling into herself; trying to collect her awkwardness and recompose.

It was too late, though. Val could already see the anxiety beginning to pick apart her cool facade faster than she could put it back together. He hated to pry into her personal thoughts almost as much as he hated to see her like this, but that was exactly why he had to say it...

"Mitsuru..."

"Yes, Val?" the business woman was twirling a length of her wavy red hair around her fingers sheepishly like a scolded grade school child. Val gazed at her sullenly until she stopped and placed her hands neatly in her lap. Mitsuru cleared her throat and crossed one slender leg over the other. The co-leader of the Kirijo group could only shake his head slightly at her unusually fidgety behavior.

Looking at her—_really_ looking at her—was like finally feeling the full force of a blow he'd received several months ago. Distressing, painful, but strangely not so much of a shock. After all, he'd known long before they became married that Mitsuru Kirijo was, in fact, not the marrying type. She was formidable on her own and could manage herself. If he was to be honest, he had the utmost confidence that if it weren't for company etiquette, she could mother the Group all by herself. Though their legal bond made to uphold the Kirijo group was quite close for one named as plainly as that and did benefit their career, in retrospect, it was clear from day one that Mitsuru would never quite get comfortable with the more intimate side of their partnership. Val Augustine loved his wife completely and would stand behind her on almost anything with little hesitation, but the tension between them these last few weeks was beginning to be too much for him.

Val sighed, curling his shoulders forward and then clasped his hands together as he looked up into his wife's face. He took a long moment to prepare himself for what he was about to say.

"Mitsuru, about the project concerning Iwatodai you proposed to me last month...I think you should go through with it."

Mitsuru's mouth fell open and she went slightly pale. It was obvious this was the last thing she had been expecting to hear. Seconds ticked past as he waited for her response. The redhead's brow furrowed in a familiar way that deeply expressed her discomfort. "Val...You know I can't do that..." she began, her voice sounding meek with uncertainty. "That employee we met from the Nanjo group was right...We've only just recovered."

Her eyes searched for a place to look—anywhere but him. The ebony haired man followed her red gaze and found the newspaper still laying open to a certain article on the table. He was able make out the first few words of the bold title until she shyly placed her manicured hands over it.

**Kirijo Group Back On Track. Next Project?**

Since the day they met, they'd become closer than two people could become without being true lovers. Confiding in each other, Val had learned some of Mitsuru Kirijo's most precious and saddest secrets and he had shared with her many of his. He knew about the deep sorrow she felt after the tragic passing of her father, as well as the many other losses she was forced to face just years before their marriage. He knew that she hated to part with her close friends and leave Japan for an entirely unknown country to expand their research shortly after they were wed, but never once complained. Mitsuru could have whatever she desired, but she always, _always_ put what she felt would benefit the group or others before herself. That was simply the kind of woman she was.

It was one of the many things Val had always admired about Mitsuru, but lately he was beginning to think that it was repressing her from seeking any happiness for herself at all.

"He was right," Val agreed. The young woman's facial expression remained the same, but Val could see the subtle narrow of her eyes for the dejection it was. He had come to know her so well...So, why was she trying to pretend?

"He was right...that we've only just recovered. But we're a globally, _multinational_ operating company, Mitsuru. We've fully reached our original capacity, and it's all the more reason we carry on with new things for the future." The young man motioned for his wife to join him on the chaise lounge. She smoothed her slim fitting pantone green pencil skirt with her hands before taking her seat beside him. Mitsuru leaned her head against his shoulder as he placed an arm around her and pulled her into a gentle half-embrace of sorts.

"You're the true head of this company, love. Everyone knows that." Val continued, rubbing her back in soothing circles. His words sounded ironic, yet sincere, which caused the woman beside him to laugh softly. He often made jokes like this. The two of them were both deemed head of the Group as dictated by their partnership, but off the floor it was in fact Mitsuru who made most final decisions. Val had his own role to play, of course, but the woman was just so damn impressive and diligent in everything she did that sometimes he felt as though he would be content to just stand back and let her take the reins. She had expressed many times, however, that their partnership had proven to be a wonderful thing and she couldn't imagine what things might be like without him.

"Mitsuru, if you bring suggestions to the table, your employees will definitely follow you. Don't be afraid to push forward just because where you're at right now is comfortable. You're at the top now."

"_We're, _Val. We're at the top now." Mitsuru corrected. She hummed pleasantly and rested her eyes. The warm balm of late noon fanned against her closed lids and face. After a while, she opened her eyes and began to trace the floral pattern of the cushion beneath them. "...You really think so? That they would listen to my proposal, that is." She mumbled, almost too quietly to hear. Val was bothered by the lack of confidence in her voice and leaned forward to peer at her.

"I _know_ so," he responded, almost immediately. His grin was slightly crooked which Mitsuru had always found strangely attractive. He was all the things she liked. He was handsome, intelligent and suave. It would have been so easy to really fall in love with him if she were any other girl.

Mitsuru elicited a chuckle that was mostly a delicate sniff through her nose. He had so much faith in her and she appreciated that more than words or any sort of action could describe. Indeed, she loved him and he, her.

Perhaps that was why this was a lot harder than they were both making it out to be.

The redhead sank back into the plush furniture and lolled her head to the opposite shoulder. A grim frown turned her rosy lips. "...I can't seem to leave it alone, huh?" The casually said remark felt more like a reprehension to herself. Little good it did, though; apparently she was still stubborn enough not to listen. "If I succeed in obtaining everyone's cooperation and return to headquarters in Japan, they will expect me to take full responsibility for the project...You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

"I do," Val responded with a nod of his head. He watched her hands clench in her lap and heard the small huff that came after she forced her entire body to deflate before her frustration could surface. All of these things, anticipated; because he was sure knew her so well.

He waited patiently for her; watched her brow stop trembling and her long lashes stop fluttering to bat away the tears that threatened to come.

When she was finally calmed down, she looked up at him and forced a tight smile and a nod.

"I'll set up a time window for the announcement tomorrow then," Val informed her, lifting himself from the recamier sofa. "I'll inform the housemaids to gather your things and have your traveling portfolio and passport ready for a flight in time for tomorrow afternoon." Mitsuru watched him shift the sliding glass door aside for a maid with the tea set and enter their stylish craftsman home. "Mitsuru," he called softly to her before closing the door, gaining her attention. His dark eyes locked with hers and he spoke to her with more sincerity than she had ever heard. "I don't know what you're anticipating to find back in Japan, but I do hope it brings you happiness. I think you deserve that more than anyone."

_If only I could see what really makes you smile, even just once. This is my only regret._

_Good-bye._

Tears quickly gathered in Mitsuru's eyes as she watched his retreating back. She only allowed herself to press her hands to her face and cry long after he'd gone.


End file.
